Governor Gavin Newsom of California vetoed a bill that would
have created new limitations on data sharing for direct-to-consumer
genetic testing companies.
The Genetic Information Privacy Act (GIPA) asked testing
companies to get informed consent from customers before disclosing
their data to third parties. GIPA was aimed as a stop-gap to cover
data sharing that is not already regulated by the California
Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the federal Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
The final bill gained significant traction in the legislature.
It passed both houses without a single vote against it.
In his veto message, the
Governor expressed concern about the "unintended
consequences" of the bill. Governor Newsom fears the bill
would constrain mandatory reporting of COVID-19 test results to
local public health departments and the California Department of
Public Health.
